Staying On-Trend While Wearing Loafers with Socks

Is wearing loafers with socks stylish?

Yes, it’s fashionable to wear socks with loafers. While the sockless look has been extremely popular for a while, it’s also stylish to wear socks with your loafers. It’s also more appropriate for men to wear socks with loafers for more formal occasions, like weddings and funerals. Besides being stylish, socks help keep your feet warm and dry in cold or wet weather. Going sockless is usually a seasonal question, so most people will wear socks in colder months no matter what shoes they wear.

Kinds of Socks to Wear with Loafers

Thin dress socks or trouser socks look great with loafers. Loafers are dress shoes but are also worn with more casual outfits. There are slightly different guidelines for wearing socks with loafers, depending on your outfit. Thinner dress socks and trouser socks are the most appropriate options to wear with formalwear or even a nice pair of slacks. Women also wear loafers with casual skirts and dresses but usually don’t wear them with more formal outfits unless wearing a menswear-styled look.

Wear no-show socks for a more casual sockless look. For more casual outfits, go with no-show socks instead of foregoing socks. No-show socks are best for casual outfits with shorts, jeans, or khakis. No-show socks are usually acceptable when wearing casual fabrics like linen and cotton. Taller socks are also acceptable for casual styles, but you should always wear socks with dressier outfits.

Always avoid bulky wool or athletic socks when wearing loafers. Loafers tend to fit more like a dress shoe than a casual shoe. Wearing bulky socks can make socks bunch out of the shoe or make it feel tight and uncomfortable.

More Styling Tips for Wearing Loafers with Socks

Let your loafers be the focal point by wearing neutral socks. When wearing socks with more ornate loafers – like two-tone, crocodile, or boldly colored styles – wear basic black, beige, or grey socks. It’s usually best to match your socks to your trousers. This doesn’t mean they have to match exactly. Coordinating and contrasting colors also work well.

Choose bold colors or patterns for a pop of color. If you’re wearing less flashy (but still cool!) loafers, a boldly colored or patterned sock adds a little pizzazz to your outfit…even when you’re wearing a suit. In fact, wearing colorful socks is a long-standing tradition in menswear that looks great with vintage and modern styles for both men and women. Colorful socks can be in unusual solid colors like yellow, two-color stripes, or patterns like argyle. Avoid wearing loafers and white socks with dressier outfits.

Stylish women wear slouchy socks, but men pull theirs up. While women can get away with slouchy socks, men’s socks are more fashionable when they’re pulled up. In fact, the best men’s dress socks are designed to hit above the calf so they stay up all day. This is even true when they’re wearing rolled pants or pants that hit at the ankles. There are several different sock lengths, including ankle, quarter crew, crew, mid-calf, knee-high, and thigh-high socks. Women often wear shorts or a casual skirt with loafers with or without tights and slightly slouchy crew socks.

Other Reasons to Wear Socks

Wearing socks helps prevent fungal infections. Feet have more than 250,000 sweat glands. When they get warm, they can get sweaty and damp. Fungus, like athlete’s foot, thrives in warm, wet environments like sweaty shoes. Wearing socks made of natural fibers helps to wick that sweat away from your skin and keeps your feet drier. Athlete’s foot causes cracked, peeling skin and an itchy, burning rash. Plus, athlete’s foot is contagious and can spread to other areas of your body, like your hands, fingernails, and groin.

Wear socks to prevent smelly feet and shoes. Like fungus, bacteria also grows in the warm, moist environment created by sweaty feet. Wearing socks helps to limit this bacterial growth, which prevents stinky feet. Socks protect your shoes from foot sweat. If you don’t wear some kind of socks, your shoes absorb the sweat from your feet. The more often they become damp from sweat, the more likely bacteria is to grow. Once they start to stink, it can be difficult to get the smell out. One way to freshen up shoes is to allow them to dry completely in front of a fan or in the sun.

Gen Z Sock Rules

A viral TikTok video has laid out new sock rules for Gen Z. Much like skinny jeans and side parts, the people of Gen Z have their own ideas about what is stylish. While these rules haven’t necessarily caught on with other generations, they have gone viral on TikTok and been reported on in the national media. Here are a few of the rules Gen Z follows to wear socks fashionably: Don’t wear ankle socks unless you’re working out. And even then, crew socks are better. Avoid wearing socks with brand logos because it makes you look like you’re trying too hard. Wear tall socks with boots that hit the ankle or higher. This rule is not strictly observed. Socks should cover your ankles when you’re wearing cropped jeans. Wear socks with bold colors, cute patterns, and fun textures, but not ribbed socks. Wear crew-length socks with dresses or skirts. Socks are encouraged with sandals, Crocs, and heels.